If your kids are animal lovers like mine, they’re going to love every book on this list of animal books for 5th graders! Like a lot of kids, this is one of the subject areas that my kids are crazy about! They love when they get a new book about different animal stories. This list has books that would be a great read for children of all ages. You can also read with them and really discuss the pictures with them, it would be so much fun and a great bonding moment!
The best part about a lot of these books is that they talk about unique animals that you don’t see on an everyday basis, so your child will be introduced to all different types of animals with these simple stories. They are a mix of fiction and nonfiction books perfect for different reading levels.
18 Animal Books for 5th Graders That My Kids Love
I’ve included all of the animal books for 5th graders that we have in our house on this list, so I know you’re going to love them all!
1. National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia: 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More! By Lucy Spelman
Ages 4-9
When my oldest son was younger, he literally looked through this book so much that it finally fell apart and we had to buy the same book again. And no, it is not poor quality, it’s quite well made! But the kid slept with it every night, that’s how much he loved it! With this book, your child will be able to learn a ton of interesting facts about different animals. It is great book for young readers that want information about their favorite animals like how fast they run, etc. They will be super excited about all the full-color photographs.
2. Discovery Kids Travel Through the Amazing World of the Animals By Steve Parker
Ages 7-10
This is one of the best books for young children to learn all about the amazing animals we have on our planet. They can learn about the smallest creatures to huge ocean animals like the big blue whale! If they are curious about different types of animals, these is a great children’s book for a little boy or girl! This book also has wonderful illustrations which makes it even more of a must for your child’s animal book list!
3. National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America By Jonathan Alderfer
Ages 6-9
If your younger readers are super interested in learning all about birds, this is a fun way for them to learn fun facts about 50 of North America’s most popular birds. It is a fun book to read with beautiful illustrations.
4. Ocean Animals: Who’s Who in the Deep Blue By Johnna Rizzo
Ages 8-12 Years
This is one of my favorite nonfiction books about the under water world! My kids love this book because they loved learning about the animal world of the sea, just like in finding Nemo! If you child loves Finding Nemo, they will for sure love this book about the great wide ocean! They will learn about the coral reefs, and factual information on those fun fish in Finding Nemo!
5. Wild Animals By Animal Planet
Ages 4-8 Years
This is a great book for younger children up to 3rd grade to learn all about the animal kingdom. It is full of amazing facts about different animals in the wild and even talks about animal bodies and their family connections.
6. Animal Atlas By DK
Ages 9-12 Years
This is a fabulous book to learn all about animal habitats. It has 3D illustrations and is one of the best animal books! Your kids might even want to share this book with their best friends, if they are interested in animal books! They will learn about all animal habitats from lions to great white sharks how they live and survive in the wild. What makes this one of my favorite books is that it also really touches on animal conservation and protection.
7. Amazingly Amusing A-Z Animal Facts for Kids By A Reluctant Mom
Ages 13-18 Years
The world surrounding us is incredible and there is so much that we can learn about wildlife. This book is full of interesting facts about animals for your kids to learn about! They will be shocked with what they learn reading this book- like did you know that cockroaches can survive even if they don’t have their head?! Crazy! They will hear so many crazy facts about animals for the first time reading this book!
8. The One Year Devotion for Animal Lovers By Dandi Daley Mackall
Ages 5-11 Years
This book not only will teach your readers about animals, but it does it in the way that is reinforced by a scripture verse. They will learn really cool facts about an animal each day and it will end with an activity related to the devotion for the day. It is a great book that sends a positive message!
9. National Geographic Kids Animal Encyclopedia By National Geographic
Ages 4-9 Years
Your young reader will learn about 2,500 different species in this gorgeous book! They will get to explore interesting facts about these animals from their habitats, life cycles and babies. This is a great book to have on hand for any school research projects or just to read with their great friends!
10. 5,000 Awesome Facts About Animals By National Geographic
Ages 8-12 Years
From animal sounds to other fun facts about animals, this book is full of great information for your children to learn about! These facts are probably facts that a lot of people don’t know so your kids will love learning new things about the animals they love and are so interested in!
11. The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids By Ginjer L Clarke
Ages 9-12 Years
This is another great book filled with interesting information about wild animals. It has colored pictures on every page which makes it super engaging for your young readers!
12. The Fascinating Facts Books for Kids By Rockridge Press
Ages 9-12 Years
Ever wonder about the giant squid in the ocean or how long it would take you to get to the moon if you were driving? If your kid is fascinated by the ocean, animals and science, this is perfect for middle schoolers who want to learn more! It is filled with 1,500 facts about not only land animals but the ocean and science.
13. The Weirdest Animals of the World Book for Kids By Jack Lewis
Ages 5-12 Years
Is your child ready to explore the most exotic animals around the world and learn all about them? This is a great book that your animal lover will go crazy about! There are so many different types of animals that we probably have not even heard about whether they are on land or in the big ocean. Give your child this book and watch them explore and be blown away by what they are learning!
14. National Geographic Kids 125 True Stories of Amazing Animals By National Geographic Kids
Ages 6-10
Your child will be able to learn all about animals and how they are friends- so many facts in this book will surprise not only your kids but even you! It is one of the great picture books that I recommend and is filled with fun anecdotes!
15. Animal! By DK and John Woodward
Ages 4-9 years
What is better than a typical picture book? A picture book full of 3D pictures and tons of facts about animals that your readers will love! They will be able to explore a ton of facts, charts and timelines of these interesting animals and is perfect for your curious kids that want to learn.
16. Spectacular Stories for Curious Kids Animals Edition By Jesse Sullivan
Grades 4-7
This book will take your child on different adventures as it is filled with different stories about the most remarkable animals on our planet! They will discover new things about different animals throughout each story within this book. It is even good for your reluctant readers that still want to learn all about the wild facts of our animal planet!
17. The Fascinating Ocean Book for Kids By Bethanie and Josh Hestermann
Ages 8-12 Years
The ocean world is a whole world underground that so many kids (and, let’s face it, adults too) are deeply intrigued by! From sea otters to mister seahorse hanging out underwater, your little readers will love to explore the world of the sea! They will learn a ton of interesting trivia facts that will leave them with a wide mouth, in total shock!
18. Weird But True Animals By National Geographic Kids
Ages 6-10 Years
Your child will definitely be intrigued by this book because they will learn cool things about animals like how we can do yoga with goats. Yes! You can actually sign up to do a yoga session with goats! They may even want to try that once they learn how cool that is. This book is full of super cool pictures and crazy, weird facts about the animals around them!
Final Thoughts on Animal Books for 5th Graders
These animal characters in all of these animal books for 5th graders will make your animal lovers create a deeper bond to the animals on land and in the sea! They may even want to take a field trip to the zoo or an animal shelter to feel that deeper connection to animals that they learn about. If you do take them to the zoo after reading these books, prepare to have them spitting out tons of fun facts about the animals they have learned all about! From adorable artwork to crazy, wild facts, these books are a must have for your children that love animals!
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Hi, I’m Jessica! I am wife to Chris, and mom to Kaiper, Alana and Koa. I am a graphic designer, website developer and aspiring author. In this space, I share about everything from parenting, working from home, food we cook, and lots of things for kids! Learn more about me here.
